Capítulo 1708: Chapter 1687: Memorial Plaque Tank

The eastern part of Ukraine is the industrial center of the country. Even during the Soviet Union period, it was the industrial hub, and Ukraine’s industry mainly focused on heavy industry, especially military industry.

Donetsk, Luhansk, and Kharkiv are the industrial centers of Ukraine, but now that the civil war in Ukraine has erupted, these three states are inevitably going to be ravaged by war.

To put it simply, Ukraine will be thrown into chaos due to the civil war, and what Gao Yang needs to do is quickly transport some goods out before everything is destroyed. The production line needed by the cleaners can only be found in Eastern Ukraine and is the most convenient to procure.

“Remember! We are here for business, not to fight a war, so no matter what we see, if it doesn’t concern us, don’t get involved.”

Walking down the street in Lugansk, Gao Yang softly instructed Taylor and Jesse by his side, and Taylor immediately responded in a low voice, “Yes, Boss, I understand.”

Jesse also echoed like Taylor, “Understood, just do business, not war.”

Gao Yang tugged at his suit, checked his watch, and murmured, “Why hasn’t he come yet?”

Although the flames of war have not yet reached Lugansk City, sporadic skirmishes have frequently occurred in Luhansk State. Some militias and troops loyal to the current official government have repeatedly clashed, and the Ukrainian Government intends to increase troop deployment in Luhansk. However, they are still bickering in the parliament.

The situation in Lugansk City has not fully transitioned into a state of war, but it has been quite tumultuous lately. Not long ago, someone attempted to storm the police station to seize weapons but was repelled. In Gao Yang’s view, the Ukrainian Government’s intention to retain these three eastern states is already impossible.

To Gao Yang’s surprise, there were still quite a few people on the streets of Lugansk City, with an increasing number seemingly gathering, and most of them were men.

Gao Yang was not unfamiliar with what these people were about to do. He had seen such gatherings many times in Libya. He just didn’t know whether this crowd gathering in Lugansk would end peacefully at home or lead directly to a large-scale civil war.

“We can’t stay here, something’s bound to happen. Being caught up in an agitated crowd is troublesome, let’s leave.”

With experience, Gao Yang certainly wouldn’t make the same mistakes. Seeing the situation turning unfavorable, it’s best to withdraw quickly. Why wait for danger to reach you? Although the designated meeting location was nearby, it’s entirely possible to call and change the meeting place to avoid an unnecessary crisis.

Just as Gao Yang was about to make the call, he saw Taylor with a shocked expression exclaim, “Wow! T-34!”

Jesse too was astounded, “Oh oh oh oh oh, T-34!”

Gao Yang turned around and was suddenly taken aback, exclaiming loudly, “Curtis! T-34!”

Not far ahead, a T-34-85 tank rumbled past them, with someone waving a red flag from atop, while a person sitting on the tank shouted slogans through a loudspeaker, stirring waves of cheers from the onlookers.

“This thing can still run? A replica?”

“Wow, I feel like I’m witnessing history.”

Holding the phone, Gao Yang didn’t make the call. He clenched his fists tightly, extremely excited, saying, “A T-34, a working T-34, F**k! I finally saw a moving T-34. What is this? This is history! How awesome, let’s go take a look.”

For a World War II military enthusiast, what could be more historically significant than seeing a T-34 roaring and rolling over the land of Ukraine? Especially considering that judging by the shouts from the people on the tank, they intended to drive this tank onto the battlefield.

Gao Yang no longer cared about any danger, he unhesitatingly approached the edge of the crowd. Not pushing into the crowd was already his maximum restraint for safety.

The tank’s serial number was 237, it looked a bit old, and Gao Yang had no doubt that it was indeed an old tank that had seen battle.

Gao Yang gently nudged an older man next to him who was excitedly shouting, then extended his hand with a smile, “Hello, could you tell me about this tank? Oh, it’s unbelievable how they got this old guy out from a museum.”

After shaking hands with Gao Yang, the scruffy bearded man, appearing to be in his fifties, proudly said, “Museum? You’ve guessed wrong, buddy. It was a monument; it is a monument. They drove it down from over there!”

Gao Yang followed the man’s hand and saw a sloped base.

Gao Yang could imagine what the tank looked like with its cannon pointing skyward on the base, but he couldn’t fathom how it just drove off the pedestal, transforming from a monument back to its original form, a tank meant for the battlefield.

“They just drove it down?”

“Oh, not at all. On May 9th, they took the tank down, cleaned out the trash inside.”

“Trash?”

“Yes, it was full of canned food bottles and liquor bottles, lots of trash, but no cigarette butts, otherwise the tank might have burned. They took the tank down that day, hauled it to a repair shop, cleaned out the trash, changed the oil, added diesel, and then started it up for the May 9th Victory Day commemorations. I heard the tank’s manual stated the engine’s fuel injector pressure was normal at 200 atmospheres, and when they repaired it, they found the pressure was precisely 200.”

The old man speaking with Gao Yang was full of pride, and Gao Yang was utterly entranced by what he heard. Old Russian equipment was renowned for its ruggedness and durability, and it truly proved to be the case.

Despite his great admiration for the tank and his desire to see more, Gao Yang finally remembered his purpose for being here. He smiled at the people around him, “Thank you, thank you for telling me this.”

After speaking, Gao Yang gestured to Taylor and Jesse, who were staring in awe, and after leading them away from the crowd, Gao Yang pumped his fist and whispered, “That tank, I want to buy it! I must have that tank!”

“Huh?”

Taylor was surprised and asked, “Buy it?”

Gao Yang responded confidently, “That’s right, buy it! Mate, don’t forget what we’re doing here, okay? We’re arms dealers, is it so surprising for an arms dealer to buy a tank?”

Taylor asked in astonishment, “But will they sell it?”

Gao Yang confidently replied, “It doesn’t have to be bought with money. I’ll give them more advanced tanks. I’ll exchange ten T-64s for one T-34. If they’re not foolish, they’ll have to sell it to me! Let’s take care of our business first, then I’ll come back and buy that tank.”